The Power of NOT Taking Things Personally

"Learning to not take things personally is a superpower. It’s choosing peace over pride and faith over reaction — and it just might change your life forever."

By Joey Koontz

There was a time when I used to let every comment about me hit like a punch to the gut.

If someone said something negative, or if a family member told me someone else did, I’d stew on it. Replay it. Get defensive. You know the drill.

But over time, I realized something powerful: I didn’t have to receive every message someone tried to hand me.

If a family member or friend said, “Hey, you know what so-and-so said about you?” I finally learned to say, “No, and I don’t want to.”

That one boundary changed everything.

I started protecting my peace like it was sacred, because it is. When I stopped letting others’ opinions control my emotions, I found freedom. The truth is, most of the time, what people say isn’t about you at all. It’s about what’s going on inside of them.

Taking things personally keeps you trapped in other people’s storms. But letting go keeps you steady in your own.

Here’s the faith side of it, Jesus faced mockery, betrayal, and lies, yet He never let any of it define Him. He knew who He was and whose He was. That’s the same power available to us.

Proverbs 19:11 says, “A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.”

Overlooking doesn’t mean ignoring. It means choosing peace over pride. Strength over sensitivity. Wisdom over reaction.

Learning to not take things personally is a superpower. It’s emotional maturity and spiritual freedom wrapped in one.

Reflection Questions

1. When was the last time you took something personally that wasn’t really about you?

2. What would change in your life if you stopped giving others power over your peace?

3. How can you model Jesus’ example of calm strength the next time someone tests your patience?

🔥 Coming Next Week: Paul and I are diving deeper into this topic on the Brotherhood Forged Podcast. We’ll unpack real-life moments, faith lessons, and practical ways to keep your peace when the world tries to shake it. Don’t miss it.